Locking bar



F. J. GREENE LOCKING BAR July 17, 1923.-

Filed May 5, 41922 Fmi El'lck J. ETE EnE accompanying drawing, the numeral designates the wardrobe section of a wardrobe trunk and 6 the drawer section of a wardrobe trunk having partitions or. drawer supf ports'7 between. which removable drawers 8 are slidable. Rigidly secured to certain partitions 7 by fastening members 9 are upper and lower keepers 10 and 11, respectively, to which is removably secured a locking bar 12. y

The locking bar 12 is preferably of tubular construction Jformed from a single length ofmaterial having spaced longitudinal portions bent to form sides 13, the ends thereof ybeing struck inwardly to provide the bar in` Y ner face 14, said ends preferably terminatingr short of each other to provide a longitudinal #groove or recess 15, see Figure 2. Y

are disposed beyond the drawers 8 and are The keepers 1() 'and 11 each have opposed notches or recesses 16 in their outer ends to form substantially T-shaped heads 17 that enga-geable in the locking bar through upper and lower openings 18 and 19, respectively, inthe rear wall thereof. Openings 18 and 19 are substantially the width of the locking bar and head 17 and have recesses or openings 2O and 21, respectively communicating therewith, of a width substantially equal itc lthe space between the inner ends of `notches 16.

With this construction, when theI bar is placed on the keepers with their head projecting through openings 18 and 19, a longitudinal shifting of the bar-downwardly will engage the parts 22, formedby recesses 20 and 21, in notches 16 and secure the bar in position. As illustrated, the ends of thebar project over the face of the upper and lowermost drawers ,to secure the same against opening movement when the bar is in position.

To prevent the unauthorized withdrawal ot the bar, a lock 23 is secured within the interior thereof and arranged so that when its locking bolt 211 is actuated, it will engage behind head 17 lof the adjacent keeper and prevent the longitudinal shifting of the bar to align heads 17 with their recesses 18 and 19. The barrel 25 of the lock registers with an aperture in the outer face of the bar for the insertion of the key 26.

Constructing the bar 12 of tubular material, either by stamping or any other desired method, produces many advantages, in that the locking means, including the keepers and lock, are entirely concealed from view, a more ornamental appearanceis obtained and a stronger locking device is provided andthe necessity of an intermediate lbrace to prevent springing. of the locking bar is eliminated.

As illustrated in the drawings, the bar is preferably formed from sheet metal bv striking the marginal edges of the blank rearwardly'andthen inwardly providing rear flanges, and the lock is preferably confined, and concealed, between therear flanges and the front wall of the bar.

In' thatform of my invention illustrated in Figures 5 to 7, the upper keeper 10 is secured to the inner face of the top wall 6 of the wardrobe section, thus bringing the 'upper end of locking bar 12 close to the top f or the trunk section. The outer end 17 of keeper 10 is on a slightly lower plane than its shank to permit theengagement thereover of the upper end27 of the locking bar.

In this form of my invention, lock 23 is positioned adjacent the eXtreme upper. end of' bar 12 and has its locking bolt 24 yieldably urged, at all times, to lockingposition by a spring 28. The outer end of bolt 2&1 is tapered, as at 29, to cooperatewith the tapered end.30 of keeper 10 to move'the locking bolt against its spring` when the bar is engaged over end 17, .the locking bolt en` gagingin an opening 81 in end 17. The rear inwardly directed flanges of the locking bar terminate inwardly ot the end 27 to provide therecess for receiving the keeper and the upper end ot the bar front face is preferably `bulged outwardly to accommodate the keeper.

The lock 2S is of special construction to permit its securelnent in the upperfend of vthe locking bar without increasing the size thereof andfto permit its complete concealment, with the exception of its key receiving barrel 25, which registers with an opening 32 in the outer wall of thel locking bar. The bolt. 211 is orV special construction being formed of onefpiece with. its rear end 'torming a guide slidably mountedin an open ing` in the lock casing and having an intermediate recess 34 in which key 26 engages to move the bolt against the action of spring 28. rl`he wall of the lock casing surrounding bar-- rel 25 is beaded, as at 34,y and extends through opening 82 whereby aneat appear ance is obtainet.

From the above description it will be readily apparent that the-locking bar can bc brought close to the top part of the trunk section anda spring lock isprovided which is entirely concealed.

` Vhat I claim as ymy invention is:

1. A rlocking device for ay removable drawer, comprising spaced keepers rigidly mounted independent or the drawer at opposite sides thereofha tubular locking bar extending 'across the tace of the drawerand engaging the keepers, and locking means mounted in the interior ot the tubular locking bar for preventing unauthorized withdrawal of. the bar. i

2.y A trunk having a tier ot drawers and locking mechanism therefor, comprising upper and lower keepers rigidly secured to upper and lower portions of the trunk and exilcealed by the other end of the locking bar,

and spring lock means concealed in the other end of the locking bar and engageable with the end of the other keeper concealed therein to releasably secureJ the locking bar in position.

4. A locking device for a removable drawer, comprising a locking bar having rearwardly and inwardly struck flanges de` lining a lock receiving recess, a lock secured within the recess and concealed by the-*front face of the bar and the rearwardly and inwardly struck flanges, the outer end of the lock being spaced from the adjacent end of the locking bar.A said end of the locking bar being closed over to provide a keeper receiving recess, and a keeper adapted to be inserted in said keeper receiving recess and engaged by the bolt of saidv lock to secure the bar in position.

5. A locking device for a removable drawer, comprising a substantially tubular locking bar formed of sheet metal with rearwardly extended flanges and inwardly directed flanges spaced from the front of the bar, an end flange closing one end of the bar, the inwardly directed flanges terminating inwardly of the end `flange to provide a keeper receiving recess, a locksecured in the bar between the front and inwardly directed flanges thereof and having a locking bolt projectable into the keeper receiving recess, and a keeper adapted to be inserted j in the recess and engaged by the lock bolt to secure the. locking bar in position.

6. A locking device for a removable drawer,A comprising a substantially tubular sheet metal locking bar having rearwardly extended flanges and inwardly directed flanges, the inwardly directed flanges being spaced 'from the front of the bar-and terminating at a point slightly inwardly of one end of the bar, a part projected over the top of the bar end to form a keeper receiving recess, the front of the bar at the keeper receiving recess being bulged outwardly to accommodate a keeper, a lock con cealed within the bar and confined between the front face thereof and the rearwardly and inwardly directed flanges, said lock having a bolt projectable into the keeper receiving recess, and a keeper` adapted to have its outer end concealed in vsaid recess and engaged by the lock bolt to secure thek cess, and a bolt carried `by said lock and movable into the keeper receiving recess to engage the keeper and secu-re the bar in position.

8. A locking device for a removable drawer, comprising a locking bar having a closed pocket adjacent one end, a lock entirely i concealed within the pocket and spaced over one end thereof to provide a keeper receiving recess, a keeper adapted to be kinserted in said recess, a bolt carried by the lock and engageable in an opening in said'keeper to releasably secure the same in said recess and lock the bar in position, and spring means normally urging said bolt into the keeper engaging recess, said bolt being depressed upon insertion of the keeper into said recess rand engageable in the keeper opening by said spring means upon registering of the opening and bolt. f A

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

FREDERICK J. GREENE. 

